How to Make Your Book Club More Effective a Guest Blog Series from Book Club Classics - Part 3

February 26, 2008

How to Make Your Book Club More Effective a Guest Blog Series from Book Club Classics - Part 3

Herewith part 3 of the guest blog series "How to Make Your Book Club More Effective" from Kristen, the founder of Book Club Classics, a site that provides book club kits fir specific works of classic literature. This time her topic is "How to Hear Every Voice." Read part one of the series here and part two here.

Now that we've addressed the benefits of embracing a theme and choosing appropriate works, it's time to tackle the reason we join book clubs in the first place: discussion. As an introvert, I am intimately aware of how I used to allow others to voice their opinions while keeping my own quiet. My "excuse" always was..."I already know what I think -- I want to hear others' ideas and thoughts."

While this is true on a certain level, I now realize that every member of a book club or classroom has a responsibility to participate and add to the discussion. Each and every individual's voice is distinct and important and no one should be able to take a back seat -- or dominate -- any discussion.

The question is...How do we make this desire a reality? Too often, one or two voices are too present and drown out those who are too absent, turning what should be a lively discussion into a tiresome diatribe.

A good friend of mine, with many years experience in the classroom, provided a wonderful solution to this all too common problem. She believes that a book club should start with a concrete, yet subjective question and ask every member to voice his/her opinion before starting the discussion. She has found that hearing every voice right from the start encourages the quieter members to speak out throughout the discussion and reminds the more vociferous members not to "hold court."

The warm-up question should NOT be: "So, did you like the book?" This question tends to lead to a subjective discussion -- especially if one member did not care for the novel, the tenor can turn negative very quickly, and those who did enjoy aspects of the work may silence their dissenting opinion. (More on this common mistake in part 5).

A better question to begin with might be: Which character did you connect to the most (or least) and why? Another might be: Which part of the story was the most engaging? Or: What first impression turned out to be incorrect? Notice that all of these questions are subjective in that there really isn't one right answer and the member must disclose something about themselves without getting too personal. Even quiet members will be encouraged to voice an opinion and hopefully then engage in the ensuing discussion.

MY REVIEW POLICY

I review fiction and nonfiction that is appropriate for book clubs. This includes literary and some women's commercial fiction as well as memoir and narrative nonfiction. I do not review self-help, thrillers, mysteries, horror, or fantasy. I have a fondness for YA literature and while the blog is not devoted to it (well, except for my obsession with the Betsy-Tacy series), I will occasionally review some YA books. The best way to reach me to request a review is to email me at bookclubgirl AT gmail DOT com.